Lang
3/6/21
An Iowa City man facing a murder charge after initiating a head-on collision on Interstate 80 has waived his right to a jury trial.
That’s according to online court records. They indicate that during a Friday court appearance 33-year-old Stephen Lucore waived his right to a trial by jury.
Lucore is charged with 1st Degree Murder, Vehicular Homicide, Serious Injury By Vehicle and four counts of Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury. He’s accused of driving the wrong way on I-80, allegedly in an attempt to kill himself. At about 9:30pm on June 16th, 2019, Lucore’s 2013 Hyundai Sonata was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-80 between Oxford and Tiffin, and collided head-on with a 2016 Honda driven by 31-year-old David Sawyer of Frisco, Texas. Lucore survived the collision, but a passenger in Sawyer’s car, identified as 64-year-old Robert Sawyer of Nocona, Texas, died of his injuries. Four other passengers in the car were injured.
Police say Lucore was driving at 80 miles an hour without his headlights on. He was not wearing his seatbelt, and allegedly told authorities that he was trying to kill himself.
Lucore was on probation for a domestic abuse charge at the time of the crash. A probation revocation hearing is scheduled for March 15th. Police say a few weeks before the crash Lucore tried to kill himself by jumping off a parking ramp.
Lucore has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Trial is set for April 6th. If convicted, he faces life in prison with no parole.